


Wish You Were Here

by Farbautidottir



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Beach Holidays, Cross-Generation Relationship, Established Relationship, Florida, M/M, POV Harry Potter, Travel, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24846394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Farbautidottir/pseuds/Farbautidottir
Summary: Harry and Scorpius embark on their first holiday as a couple. Their massive age gap never seems to matter when they're together, but will it make a difference so far from home? (Set in the year 2032)
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 12
Kudos: 35





	Wish You Were Here

**Author's Note:**

> This story is my contribution to Pride 2020 to be published during the actual month of June. I'm writing several other stories this month to celebrate, but they won't be released until July and August in their respective festivals.
> 
> This story contains a cross-gen pairing with the age disparity: Harry/Scorpius (52/26)

They'd dropped the 'L' word yesterday afternoon and soon after had the brilliant idea to go on holiday together. Their first one as a couple. Being 52 years old, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, and the father of three children, Harry hadn't gone on holiday with just one other person in decades. In fact, he was probably younger than his boyfriend Scorpius' current age of 26 when he did.

The two had connected nine months ago when Scorpius had entered Weasleys' Wizards Wheezes just before closing time to buy a gift for his dad. Harry had happened to be there visiting the shop owner, his longtime friend and former brother-in-law, Ron. It had been an immediate attraction, and Harry had asked Scorpius to grab a drink that night. Despite their massive age difference, the pair clicked and had been together ever since. Somehow, they just fit.

"I've figured out where we should go," Scorpius said bright-eyed while sitting on Harry's sofa, a Muggle tablet in hand.

"Where?"

"Key West! It's in Florida."

"Florida? Won't that be disgustingly hot?" Holidays for Harry typically consisted of a tranquil escape to Lake District with his kids and godson.

"Not in winter! Plus, all the sites say it's super gay-friendly. This one even calls it the original gaycation destination."

"Do we need to go somewhere touted as 'gay-friendly?'" Harry frowned.

"I think it'd be nice to go out in public somewhere nobody stares at us."

Harry had to agree that sounded nice, if not unrealistic.

"I'm sure they'll still stare because of our age difference."

"Do you want me to plan our gaycation or not?" Scorpius huffed. He hated when Harry brought up their age gap.

Harry smiled and kissed him on the cheek to mollify him. "Yes, I want you to plan our gaycation."

And plan it Scorpius did.

Three months later they landed in the Miami Portkey Arrivals and were hurriedly ushered to Immigration so the travelers looking to go to London could catch the portkey's return trip.

The couple funneled into a short queue that led them to a MACUSA Immigration Wizard who reviewed their documentation through bushy brows. He looked up with a doubtful expression.

"Harry Potter? The Harry Potter?"

"Yes, I am Harry Potter," Harry replied calmly. This still happened often.

"And your son's last name is different?" the Immigration Wizard asked.

"He's not my son," Harry said, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks. He wasn't sure if it was due to embarrassment or anger. Sure, Scorpius was young enough to be his son, but they certainly did not look enough alike for that to be a natural conclusion.

"Oh?"

"No," Harry said firmly.

Scorpius shifted his weight uncomfortably and Harry took his hand to calm him. The Immigration Wizard raised a bushy brow and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"I need to register your wands," he finally said.

"Of course," Harry replied, producing his wand. Scorpius quickly gave the wizard his as well.

The Immigration Wizard pressed the tip of their wands into the registration scanner and returned them.

"What is your final destination?"

"Key West," Harry said.

"Ah," said the Immigration Wizard with a knowing nod, his eyes flickering down to their joined hands. He stamped both their documents and said, "Now you know magic outside the Apparation Zone is restricted in the Keys, right?"

"Yes, I'm the Head of Magical Law Enforcement at the British Ministry of Magic. I know the laws."

"Very well, welcome to America."

Harry and Scorpius gave him a nod and hurried away to claim their luggage which came via a separate portkey. Suitcases in hand, they Disapparated to Key West's Apparation Zone. Upon arrival, the atmosphere immediately changed into something far more relaxed than Miami. Verdant subtropical plants surrounded them, butterflies fluttered about in flashes of bright color, and the perfume of something sugary floated in the air.

"Welcome to Key West!" the Welcome Witch greeted them.

Her hair was a sun-bleached blonde and her skin a deep tan, as if she'd spent every day of her life in the sun. She wore amulets and crystal pendants, reminding Harry of a younger, American version of Professor Trelawney.

Before the Welcome Witch could guide them to their hotel, some butterflies began to descend on them, several landing on Harry.

"Ah, the white butterfly seeks you! Truly this is the greatest gift. The Florida White symbolizes good luck," the witch explained dreamily.

Harry looked at the bright white butterfly on his shoulder. It was smaller than most of the others, but its wings were white on both sides, not the dull, patterned tan of the more colorful blue and orange butterflies.

"You see," Scorpius said to him with his beautiful smile. "We're going to have a wonderful trip."

/\/\/\

After checking into the boutique hotel Scorpius had booked for them, aptly named Butterfly Inn, they went to explore the town. The main drag was Duval Street, but not much was open during the daytime. They ducked into a tourist shop, mostly for the air conditioning, and browsed the pastel colored shirts, tacky wire fish statues, and puka shell necklaces. Scorpius decided to buy a few postcards to send his dad and friends, but they were $1.50 each, or five for $4.00, so Harry picked out two for himself—a fish with jagged teeth called a barracuda and a sailboat silhouetted against the sunset.

"They're supposed to have amazing sunsets here," Scorpius noted.

"You booked us on a sunset cruise, didn't you?"

Scorpius blushed.

"How much of this trip is already planned?" Harry asked.

"Well…today isn't." Scorpius grinned sheepishly.

Harry shook his head, laughing, and handed over his Gringotts Card to the cashier. Since Muggles accepted card payments, the Goblins had created their own version that converted into Muggle money on demand.

After leaving the shop, they wandered by what Scorpius exclaimed was a famous ice cream parlor as he dragged Harry inside. They both ordered key lime flavor scoops and strolled to a pier that overlooked the Straits of Florida. A small, unappealing public beach stood beside it, the sand a tan color, different than the white sand Harry expected from the postcards.

"Want to walk on the beach?" Scorpius asked.

"I'd rather sit on that bench and watch the sea."

They sat until they finished their ice cream, seagulls and tourists squawking about them. Finally, the combination of the beating sun, the sugar crash from the ice cream, and Scorpius droning on about how Cuba was only 90 miles away became too much for Harry.

"Let's go back to the room. I need a nap."

"We can't nap. We need to stay up to adjust to the time change."

"I have to get out of the sun," Harry declared, standing.

Once back at the hotel, they passed two completely nude men in the interior courtyard while on their way to their room. One of whom gave an overly friendly greeting to Scorpius. Harry eyed the man rudely enough that he apologized before proceeding to laugh with his friend once they'd passed.

Inside their room, Harry growled out, "What even was that? You can just run about naked in America?"

"No…It's just the resort. They have a clothing-optional policy," Scorpius replied cautiously.

"You didn't tell me that," Harry said as he sat on the bed and bent down to untie his shoes.

"I did. You said, 'Sounds good.' Maybe you weren't really listening?"

"Oh, er, sorry," Harry mumbled.

"It's fine. Are you…should we find another place to stay?"

"No, it's fine." Harry lay down.

"We can move hotels. I'll go find something else now." Scorpius began rummaging through his guidebooks. "I'll fix this."

"Scorp, stop."

Scorpius paused his flurried action and looked up.

"Come here," Harry said with warm eyes.

Scorpius sat beside him on the edge of the bed. Harry grabbed him by the waist and pulled him down into a lying position.

"I meant here, close to me," he said as Scorpius repositioned himself to face Harry. "This hotel is great. I overreacted. I think I'm just tired."

"Are you sure?" Scorpius asked with wide eyes.

"You must think I'm an old prude."

"No, no, of course I don't."

"No, you must. I'm exhausted and all we did today was portkey here. And then one naked man hits on you, and I can't even handle it." Harry scrunched up his nose in embarrassment.

"I thought your menacing glare was a very effective way of handling it. He was acting entirely inappropriate, and you made sure he knew it. It was incredibly sexy, actually," Scorpius said with his little smirk that drove Harry wild.

"Was it?"

"Yes," Scorpius kissed him.

"Well, I suppose we should hope more men hit on you then." Harry smiled slyly.

"Personally, I'd rather not deal with such harassment. I find you perfectly sexy just being yourself."

Harry brushed back the strands of hair that always fell over Scorpius' face at this angle.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," Scorpius said tenderly.

They began to kiss and got lost in each other for the rest of the afternoon.

/\/\/\

"Morning! I got us Danishes and some grapefruit. The citrus in Florida is supposed to be excellent," Scorpius bubbled the next morning.

"Mm, hi," Harry managed blearily, still waking up. "You have a lot of energy this morning."

"Well, it's exciting to be on holiday!" Scorpius said, pouring hot water from their room's coffee maker to brew them some tea. He knew from experience Harry wouldn't be functional until he had a cup.

Harry began to get up and Scorpius launched into the day's itinerary.

"You've really booked it all to the minute," Harry said.

"Here," Scorpius replied, handing him a mug covered in butterflies that formed a rainbow pattern. "I plan because I don't want us to miss anything and be sad later."

"So thoughtful." Harry sipped his tea. It was weak, but he acted like it was fine as to not hurt Scorpius' feelings. If he'd realized how nonstop the next five days would be, he would've demanded stronger tea.

That day, they did a historical walking tour of a fort then spent the afternoon baking on the nearby beach before their sunset dinner cruise.

Tuesday, they visited the Hemingway House and a parrot sanctuary, and then ate key lime pies at some famous bakery Harry had never heard of.

Wednesday, they were back in the sun on Islamorada, a different island which featured the white beaches Harry expected. It was the most relaxing day. Harry's olive skin was turning a very dark tan from all the sun exposure. Scorpius remained pale, generously applying his sunblock potion daily.

Thursday, they went on a snorkeling trip with a small group and Harry had never hated magical restrictions more in his life. The snorkeling gear was cumbersome, and he moaned more than once he couldn't use a Bubble-head Charm. They saw some cool sea creatures though, including a barracuda that was even creepier in person than the postcard.

Friday, they traipsed through several art galleries and went to a butterfly sanctuary. More white butterflies swarmed Harry and the Muggle zookeeper also assured him this was good luck.

That night, when Scorpius changed into nicer clothes and excitedly announced they were going dancing, Harry finally broke.

"I can't go out," he said.

"Are you sick?" Scorpius asked with concern as he clasped the braided leather bracelet he always wore.

"I'm sick of doing stuff."

"Oh." Scorpius looked more wounded than Harry anticipated.

"You've booked us nonstop." Harry's voice started to rise. "We're supposed to be on holiday!"

"We _are_ on holiday!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"This is _not_ my idea of a holiday. I'm too old for this pace."

"Well, you gave input on everything, so I don't see how that's fair."

"You didn't say we'd be doing literally everything I thought sounded fun."

"Because it was implied that you wanted to do it all!"

"I never implied that!" Harry yelled. "Look, my job is so demanding that I just wanted to do nothing on holiday. But you wouldn't understand, you're too young for your job to be that demanding."

Scorpius' eyes widened at these words. He hurriedly shoved his Gringotts Card and essentials into his pockets and spun on Harry.

"If you want to do nothing and be a boring old man, that's fine. But I'm going out," he hissed. "I'm _too young_ to not go dancing and enjoy my life."

"Then go! I'm not stopping you! I'm not your dad!"

Scorpius shot him a withering look and marched out the door. Harry waited for the door's slam, but Scorpius closed it gently and quietly locked it behind him.

The moment Scorpius was gone, Harry missed him. He didn't go after him though. He was old enough to know they both needed time to calm down. Chasing after him now would only cause more of a fight. Instead, he got up, changed into his swim trunks, and went to the pool. Being Friday night, it was full of men flirting and laughing and drinking. Harry got a drink at the pool bar, ignored the man next to him as he attempted to open him, and went to the most out-of-the-way lounge chair. The air was cooler than the day, a breeze coming into the courtyard, and Harry contented himself on people watching as he sipped his cocktail.

Once he finished his drink, Harry went back to their room and pulled out the postcards he'd bought their first day there. He grabbed the hotel pen, which was quicker than finding his quill, and chose the one with the barracuda to send Ron and Hermione.

> _Hello from Florida!_
> 
> _We're having a nice time despite the unbearable heat and humidity. Hope all is well in dreary England. We've been very busy so far…Scorpius plans trips like Hermione. We've done two historical tours, snorkeled, and gone to a butterfly conservatory. The owner reminded me of Luna a bit._
> 
> _Best, Harry_

As he listed out what they'd done, he realized how nice it was that they'd actually _done_ stuff. He set the postcard by the door to remember to mail it tomorrow and noticed Scorpius' itinerary sitting there. He flipped ahead to tomorrow's schedule and saw it was blank and titled: R&R Day. He'd built in a rest and relaxation day, but Harry had been such a jerk earlier that he didn't even tell him.

Harry groaned. "I'm the worst boyfriend. _"_

He decided he couldn't just wait for Scorpius to get back. He needed to go out and find him. He flung open his suitcase and looked for the linen button-down he'd packed. It was nothing too formal, it was the beach after all, but still nicer than the t-shirts he'd been wearing.

After changing into trousers, he pulled on the short sleeve button-down, rolling up the sleeves a little bit in the way he'd seen other men do. Buttoning it up all the way, he looked in the mirror and decided to undo several buttons, so his chest was somewhat on display. It wasn't entirely comfortable for him, but he knew Scorpius would like it.

He scrutinized himself in the mirror for a moment. Even with the gray peppering his untidy black hair and the pronounced crow's feet around his eyes, he didn't look _that_ old. In fact, with his outfit looking so fashionable and contrasting so sharply with his deep tan, he actually looked good.

Without another thought, he grabbed the other postcard with the sunset scene, dated it with the day's date, and wrote:

> _Harry,_
> 
> _Today you had your first fight with Scorpius. And now he's out in Key West dancing alone. I'm off to go find him and apologize. Wish me luck._
> 
> _-Harry_

At his age, he knew how quickly time passed. Without markers, it was impossible to remember when events occurred. He hid the postcard in his suitcase so Scorpius wouldn't see it. Hopefully on some future holiday he'd find it again, show Scorpius, and they'd have a laugh. He smiled at the idea and headed into the night.

Duval Street was packed. Filled with squeals of delight, peals of laughter, ambient chatter, and nothing that Harry wasn't used to from tracking dark wizards through Muggle London. Luckily, he knew Scorpius, so finding him would be exceptionally easy. Knowing MACUSA could only trace magic that came from a wand, Harry used wandless magic to subtly cast a Summoning Charm for Scorpius' bracelet and watched intently for which building it flew from towards him. He caught the leather braided circle and hurried towards the shabby bar.

He spotted Scorpius immediately. His pale skin and shock blond hair a bright contrast to the sea of tan skin around him. Like a white butterfly among moths. Scorpius danced by himself, moving in beat to the live music amidst a crowd of couples and friend groups on the dancefloor. As if he sensed his presence, Scorpius looked directly at Harry and a smile spread across his face. Harry caught his breath as butterflies fluttered inside him. Smiling back, he moved across the room until he was in front of Scorpius.

"Sorry," he said softly.

"I'm sorry as well," Scorpius replied. "I'm glad you came out."

"Me too."

"You look really good," Scorpius added playfully, touching Harry's partially exposed chest.

"Thanks." Harry clasped the bracelet around Scorpius' wrist. "I found this."

Scorpius rolled his eyes and Harry kissed him on the lips.

"The night is young," Harry said. "And I want to spend it with you."

Scorpius wrapped his arms around him, and they got lost in each other's gaze as their hips swayed together in beat. Harry wished he could capture this moment as a postcard to send himself whenever he felt insecure about their relationship. On the back he'd pen himself the message: _Wish you were here._


End file.
